“You do know that ripping my head off is the same as ripping your own head off, right? I don’t even think it’s physically possible, so now you just look like a dodo bird.”
Pigeon starts to angrily recede inside of me, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re very sensitive for a turkey that likes to leave me hanging on the regular, Pidge. You still expected me to talk to you after the whole Zeph and Ryn ‘cleansing’ thing, and the ‘let’s not clue Falon in on anything’ bullshit you also like to pull. So don’t play the pout card with me,”I scold, and I feel her huff.
She doesn’t go anywhere, so I take that as a good sign.
“Okay, you want to Miyagi me—does that mean you would like to teach me to hunt and fight?”I ask in a voice normally reserved for little kids.
Pigeon shoots me a look that clearly expresses she’s not impressed by my placating tone. This time I let out a huff.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way, but, Pigeon, I need to learn how to fight in my form too, and no offense, how are you going to help with that?”I ask.
Pigeon gives me an indignant snort and sends me an image of a wing patting me on the head. I recycle the unimpressed look she previously gave me and sling it back at her. I watch in my mind as a feather is pressed against my lips like it’s a finger meant to shush me, and then Pigeon signals for me to follow her. I can’t help but chuckle at the cheekiness of it all, while simultaneously being annoyed.
Patrick Swayze’s voice fills my mind, saying, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” Only I mentally edit it to say, “Nobody shushes Falon with a feather.”
Pigeon and I both chuckle, and she flashes me the sky and a clearing. I look around at the mostly empty halls and wonder if I’m allowed to just leave. I shake my head at that thought, because I’m a grown ass woman and should just go wherever the fuck I want to go. I turn the corner and notice a guard standing solitary in the corner.
“Hello,” I greet him and move in his direction. “I’m just going to go find some space to...uh...exercise. Just wanted to let you know, in case anyone needs me for anything,” I tell him, waving awkwardly and stepping away from him when he looks at me like he could give two fucks what I’m going to do.
I continue to back away, shooting a thumbs up in the direction of the guard who is now ignoring me, and aim a glare at Pigeon when she cracks up inside of me. I’m pretty sure she’s mocking myI’m a grown ass womanthoughts from before and...well, frankly...it’s rude.
“I probably just saved us from getting shot out of the sky by one of those net thingies. Remember how lovely that felt,”I point out smugly, making my way to the closest balcony.
Pigeon shoots me an image of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers saying, “Riiiight.”
“You know, I never thought I would say this, but I liked you better when you were quiet,”I tell her, opening the door that leads outside and calling on my wings.
She snickers, but I ignore it as I leap off the balcony in search of a good place for us to figure our shit out and tap into our inner badass.
This should be interesting.
* * *
“You want me to what?”I ask, the panic and doubt ringing clear in my voice.
Pigeon replays the action movie she just mistook for real life in my mind. I watch as she dives out of the sky until we’re only a couple feet off of the ground. She slows us slightly and then we shift into me. I start running, not missing a beat in order to keep our pace. Then bend over to snatch a twig from the ground, and when I straighten up, we shift back into Pigeon and climb high into the sky.
Internally I stare at her, my look communicating just what I think of this birdbrained plan.
“There are easier ways to kill me, you know,”I declare, folding my hands over my chest.
She flashes me the image of us successfully completing the last challenge that I declared was impossible.
“I am aware that I have said that before, but it doesn’t make it any less true,”I point out.
Pigeon proceeds to bombard me with a slideshow of all the things we’ve accomplished in the three days we’ve been coming out here. We spent the first day on the baby steps. We worked on partial shifting in my form and in Pigeon’s. I can now shift and call on talons, Pigeon’s eyes, a soft downy coat of fur from the waist down—which I’m still not sure how I feel about—and I can work up a growl that would make any mama lion proud.
Pigeon also gave me a thorough flight lesson. Which, surprisingly, has helped to make everything that’s happened since go much more smoothly.
A ripple of smugness breaches my thoughts.
“Okay, fine, maybe it wasn’tthatsurprising since you specifically flashed me how important it would be, but you are a dramatic little bird, so forgive me for not falling hook, line and sinker for everything you say,”I tell her.“Are you sure this next task isn’t like the one you created about keeping my wings clean?”I ask incredulously.
Pigeon snickers.
“Pigeon!”I warn, not interested in falling for another prank.
